Coaching Coaching and more Coaching
No other sport relies on it’s coaches more then the NFL (I wrote it down on a computer so it’s a fact now). The Giants will have to rely on their excellent coaching staff when it comes to matching up with the Saints prolific offense. The Saints present a unique set of offensive weapons which have the chance to expose the few weakness’s the Giants defense has. Without Michael Boley, the Giants linebackers are not very fast and can be exploited in coverage. The safeties, once a strength, with rising star Kenny Phillips and overachieving Michael Johsnon, now take a step back with CC Brown (who does not have the cover skills Phillips does).
The keys to exposing the safeties and linebackers are utilizing your tight ends and running backs in the passing game. The Saints possess arguably the best combination of a pass receiving tight end, Jeremy Shockey, and pass receiving running back, Reggie Bush, in the league (you can make a case for McKoy and Celek too, sounds like a bad cop pilot). Between the two of them they have 32 receptions for 283 yards. It will be Bill Sheridan’s job to figure out how to contain these two while also keeping Colston and Henderson from getting deep.
The Solution: It’s always the same for Big Blue – GET HOME. Hit the quarterback and hit him often. Speaking of Quarterbacks Drew Brees may be playing better then any other Qb in the league, but it’s very difficult to play the position while your laying on the turf (you see what I did there…huh? yeah? you see it). The coverage of Shockey and Bush will fall to players like Chase Blackburn, CC brown, Michael Johnson and perhaps Kevin Dockery/Bruce Johnson/ Antonio Pierce and as I said before this isn’t the Giants strength. The key to Bush is simple, tackle tackle tackle. Easier said then done, Bush, while not the in between tackle runner New Orleans hoped for, is still a menace in open space. With a host of offensive weapons the Giants won’t be able to put a target on Bush’s back, like they have done with Westbrook in the past, so when he gets the one on one’s in open space the Giants must flock like Geese to get bush down.
Defending Shockey is always a mismatch. A linebacker doesn’t have the speed (although Boley may have challenged this theory) and a corner or saftey doesn’t have the size to defend the man child. One thing the Giants can do jam Shockey, wether it’s Blackburn, Clark or even Sintim, if you can jam Shockey you may have a chance to throw off the timing and allow #91 to do what he does best, eat opposing Quartebacks.
Bottom line the Saints are indefensible and the Giants have little shot to beat this “hot” team. Just like in 07 when the greatest offense ever assembled had no chance to be stopped either. In fact that Quarterback, Tom Me-Lady (ha just thought of that horrible nickname) actually laughed at Plaxico’s prediction of 23-17:
“We’re only going to score 17 points?” Brady said Wednesday morning before chuckling. “OK. Is Plax playing defense?
“I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for more points.”
I’m Guessing Drew Brees won’t be chuckling this week.
